Bill Zhang
Nov 25, 2011
Writing Feedback / SAT Essay About Whether Small Decision Often Have Major Consequence [2]
Throughout history, there are enormous great political issues such as wars, alliance and diplomacy completely led by small decisions. Such decisions might seem trival; however, their paramount importances, in fact, were always neglected by myopic rulers.
Consider, if you will, the opium war between China and Great Britain. Most historians assert that British goverment declared war on China merely because it wanted to expand its markets so as to promote its economy. However, them can hardly elucidate reasonably that why the Britains intended to apply a violent way. Were they inherently pugnacious? No. The reason can be traced back to a few decades ago. When Qianlong Emperor celebrated his 80th birthday, according to Chinese customs, he decided to savagely force British ambassador George Macartney to kneel. Encountering such unbearable humiliation, Macartney felt sentimentally insulted and decided to avenge after he returned to England. He suggested that China was a brutal country which should be nurtured in a violent way. Therefore, in the name of trade market expansion and industrial diversion, Britian decided to war with China. Thus, from the opium war, we can find that initially a subtle decision, in order to have a diplomat conform with native etiquette, could emerge a war. Although small decisions seemed negligible, we can never ignore them.
In our daily life, we also always make small decisions. There are myriad examples such as buying a lottery, choosing a job and going to another city that can eventually change our lives.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that every small decision, like the Butterfly Effect, can potentially determine a person's, even a country's fate, making it completely different. Therefore, only when we consciously and meticulously make every decision and foresee its consequence, can we greatly benefit from it.
Throughout history, there are enormous great political issues such as wars, alliance and diplomacy completely led by small decisions. Such decisions might seem trival; however, their paramount importances, in fact, were always neglected by myopic rulers.
Consider, if you will, the opium war between China and Great Britain. Most historians assert that British goverment declared war on China merely because it wanted to expand its markets so as to promote its economy. However, them can hardly elucidate reasonably that why the Britains intended to apply a violent way. Were they inherently pugnacious? No. The reason can be traced back to a few decades ago. When Qianlong Emperor celebrated his 80th birthday, according to Chinese customs, he decided to savagely force British ambassador George Macartney to kneel. Encountering such unbearable humiliation, Macartney felt sentimentally insulted and decided to avenge after he returned to England. He suggested that China was a brutal country which should be nurtured in a violent way. Therefore, in the name of trade market expansion and industrial diversion, Britian decided to war with China. Thus, from the opium war, we can find that initially a subtle decision, in order to have a diplomat conform with native etiquette, could emerge a war. Although small decisions seemed negligible, we can never ignore them.
In our daily life, we also always make small decisions. There are myriad examples such as buying a lottery, choosing a job and going to another city that can eventually change our lives.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that every small decision, like the Butterfly Effect, can potentially determine a person's, even a country's fate, making it completely different. Therefore, only when we consciously and meticulously make every decision and foresee its consequence, can we greatly benefit from it.
